Fill-up and cementing devices



w. F. NELSON FILL-UP AND CEMENHNG `nfsvirclgs No?. l2, 1957 Filed May 26, 195s www /M/ 3 m @QQ/M m n 4m /V/ y om@ M o o a l JT R a www m J NmmS/m s F m ,y w. f ,f @am w B W/M 0 a m E o V7. l' a d3. una c n a n o m/ A. f P .u m m M k III:

2,812,820 FILL-UP AND CEMENTING DEVICES Wayne F. Nelson, St'. Louis, Mo., assignor to Larkin Packer Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Missouri Application May 26, 1953, Serial No. 357,531 16 Claims. (Cl. 16S- 224) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in till-up and cementing devices.

ln the usual procedure for cementing a well such as an oil well, a cementing Valve or shoe is disposed on the lower end of a casing or pipe for lowering the valve or shoe to a predetermined point in the well bore. During the lowering of the valve or shoe, the casing tends to float in the drilling mud or fluid in the well bore and to overcome such tendency it has generally been the practice to periodically halt the lowering movement of the casing to partially fill the casing with fluid admitted at the upper end of the casing near the well surface. Such procedure is slow and expensive.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a lill-up and cementing device which is adapted to automatically admit well fluid into the casing or well pipe on which said device is lowered so as to maintain substantially equal fluid pressures internally and externally of said casing or pipe without the necessity of periodically halting the lowering movement of the casing or pipe for filling thereof.

An` important object of this invention is to provide a fill-up and cementing devicewhich will initially function as a pressure-actuated valve for automatically admitting sufficient well fluid into the casing to substantially equalize the fluid pressures internally and externally of said casing but upon subsequent manipulation will act as a normal back check valve.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fill-up and cement device whichis adapted to open and close in accordance with a predetermined uid pressure differential acting on the device during the lowering of the device into a well bore and which is also adapted to be opened by the application thereon of cement under pressure for effecting the admission of cement intothe well bore.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ll-up and cement device for lowering into a well bore on a casing wherein the device opens to admit well uid into the casing during the lowering thereof so long as the iluid pressure externally of the casing is substantially greater than the fluid pressure within the casing, said device closing when the pressure within the casing is substantially equal to, or slightly less than, the pressure external thereof, and said device including a releasable means for permitting the opening of said device when a `cement under a predetermined pressure exceeding the external pressure is applied to the device from within said casing.

The construction designed to carry out the` invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specication and by reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part thereof, where in an example of the invention is shown yand wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the lill-up and cementing device of `this invention disposed at `the lower end of a pipe string,` with the device being shown in a closed position,

nite States Patent O Fig. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the ll-up and cementing device of this invention, illustrating the device in an open position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating the device after the apper valve has been disconnected from the valve body, so that the valve can act as a normal back check valve.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a modified form of the device illustrated in Figs. 1 3.-

In the drawings, the letter A designates generally the fill-up and cement device or valve device of this invention which is mounted in a collar 10 connected to the lower end of a string` of casing pipe` P which extends to the surface of the well bore` in which the device A is lowered for cementing purposes. The cement device A is preferably fixed in the lcollar 10 by a lconcrete liner 11 which is formed in the shape Iof a cylinder and is interposed between the collar 10 and the valve device A. As will be explained, the valve device A is adapted to open so as to permit fluid to flow into the casing or pipe P during the lowering of the device A into the well bore to its desired position for injecting cement into the well. The device A automatically closes when the fluid pressure within the casing P is substantially equal to or slightly less than, the fluid pressure in the well bore externally of the casing P. Thus, during the lowering of the device A into the well bore, there is an automatic filling of the casing or pipe P with well fluid so as to maintain the fluid pressure internally and externally thereof substantially equal. After the valve device A has reached its desired position in the well bore for cementing purposes, it can be manipulated so that it functions as a normal `back check valve to permit a flow of cement into the well bore from the casing or pipe P but to prevent the back-flow thereof.

The fill-up and cement device A, which is best seen in Fig. l, has a cylindrical valve body 12 which is` retained in the collar 1li` -by the concrete liner 11. The valve body 12 has a plurality of external circumferential ribs or projections 12a which serve to securely anchor the body 12 in the concrete liner 11. Similarly the collar 10 has a plurality of inner circumferential ribs or projections 10a which extend into the concrete liner 11 for securely anchoring the liner 11 to the collar 10. Thus, the valve body 12 is securely mounted within the collar 10 bythe concrete liner 11. It will be appreciated thatthe valve body 12 could be secured to the collar lll` by threads or other equivalent securing means instead of the concrete liner 11 if desired, as shown in Fig..4.

The valve body 12 includes a valve body top 14 which is positioned on the upper end of the valve body 12 and is provided with a bore 14a which is of a reduced size as compared to the bore 12a` of the valve body 12. This reduced bore 14a provides an internal radial upper shoulder 14b within the valve body, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter. `It will be observed that the bore 14a is of the same diameter as the portion of the bore 11a of the concrete lliner 11 `disposed above such body top 14.

Of course, the bores 11a and 14a need not be of the same diameter, and the sizes thereof may be varied as desired. p t

Disposed within the bore 12e of the valve body 12 is a floating apper valve seat 16 which is in the form of a sleeve or a cylinder and is adapted to move longitudinally within the valve body 12. Such flapper seat 15 is in sealing engagement with the inner bore 12e of the valve body 12, with the seal being provided by seal rings 17 and 18 disposed around the periphery of the flapper seat 16 for engagement with thewall of the bore 12C.

On the upper end of the tlapper seat 1d there is positioned a plurality of arcuate stop segments 20 which are substantially triangular in `cross-section so as to present external radial shoulder 16a which is adapted to abutt an inwardly directed radial annular shoulder 12b on the internal surface of the bore 12e of the valve body 12 to limit the downward movement of the seat 16 under certain circumstances which will be explained.

A flapper valve or disc 25 is mounted on the lower end of the apper seat or sleeve 16 for opening and closing uid iiow through the bore 16b of the sleeve 16 by a seating of the dapper valve 2S in contact with the seating surface 16e` on the lower internal edge of the seat or sleeve 16. The seat or sleeve 16 has a downwardly extending lug 26 to which a trunnion 27 extending from the valve 25 is adapted to be connected by a pivot pin 23 which extends through the lug 26 and the trunnion 27. In some instances it may be desirable to position a torsion spring 30 around the pivot pin 28 with one end of the spring 31D being engaged with the lug 26 while the other end thereof is engaged with the trunnion 27 so as to normally urge the apper valve 25 to a closed position (Fig. l). It will be evident, however, from the following description that the spring 30 is not essential to the operation of the device, but merely assists in closing the valve 25 when the valve 2S functions as a normal back check valve.

The apper valve 25 has depending therefrom a pivot lug 32 which is pivotally connected to a link 33 by a pivot pin 34 which extends through one end of the link 33 and through the lug 32. The link 33 has its other end pivotally connected to a downwardly depending arm 36 on the lower end of the valve body 12 by a shear pivot pin 37 which extends through the end of the link 33 and the arm 36. This shear pin 37 is of sufficient strength to shear at a predetermined pressure applied from above, as will be explained. When the valve 25 is closed (Fig. l), the upper surface 33a of the link 33 is substantially horizontal or lateral, and is in contact with the lug 26 on the valve flapper seat 16, whereby upon the application of a pressure of a predetermined amount to the upper end of the seat 16, the seat 16 is moved downwardly to force the link 33 downwardly to shear the pin 37.

The lower end of the collar 10 is shown as having exl ternal threads 10b for connection with a guide shoe or tail pipe (not shown) if desired. The threads 10b could, of course, be formed internally rather than externally if isilich is required for connection of the guide shoe or the In the operation or use of the fill-up and cement device A of this invention, such device is lowered into a well bore by the lowering of the well pipe P. Ordinarily the well pipe P will be a well casing which has sections of the casing added theretoV during the lowering into the well bore. Since the well bore normally will have drilling mud or iuid therein which will tend to float the well pipe P, it is important that the pipe P be filled, or parh tially lled, with a fluid so that the lowering of the pipe P into the well bore is not retarded or prevented. By means of the ill-up or cementing device A of this invention, iluid in the Well bore is automatically admitted into the interior of the well pipe P so as to maintain the Huid pressure within the well pipe substantially the same as the uid pressure in the well bore externally of the well pipe P. Thus, as the well pipe P and the cement device A are lowered into the well bore, the pressure of the well Huid acts upon the lower end of the sleeve 16 whereby such sleeve 16 functions as a piston and moves upwardly within and relative to the valve body 12. Such tiO f 4 upward movement of the valve seat or sleeve 16 effects a pivotal movement of the flapper valve 25 from its closed position (Fig. l) to its open position (Fig. 2). The pivotal swinging of the flapper valve 2S is caused by reason of the pivotal connection of the tiapper valve 25 to the lower end of the sleeve 16 and its pivoted linkage connection through the link 33 to the lower end of the valve body 12. When the sleeve 16 is in its upper position 'with the arcuate segments 2h in contact with the stop surface Mb, the iluid low from the well into the pipe occurs through the bore 16b of the sleeve 16 and thence upwardly through the bore 11a of the concrete liner 11 into the interior of the pipe or casing P.

Although the arcuate stop segments 2t) are in contact with the stop surface 14b, the uid in the pipe or casing P can ow through the spaces 21 between the segments Ztl to act on the entire upper end of the sleeve 16. rherefore, when the pressure of the well uid within the casing or pipe P reaches a predetermined amount, it forces the valve apper seat or sleeve 16 downwardly until the tlapper valve 25 contacts the seating surface 16C and the lug 26 contacts the link surface 33a, at which time the ilow into and from the well pipe or casing P is closed. The amount of pressure which is necessary to cause the downward movement of the sleeve 16 depends upon the relative annular lateral end areas at the upper lower ends of the sleeve 16. Due to the enlarged upper diameter of the sleeve 16, the upper lateral endy surface of the sleeve is of a slightly larger area than the lateral end surface at the lower end thereof, whereby a slightly lower pressure within the well pipe or casing P will effect the downward movement of the sleeve 16 as compared with the fluid well pressure externally of the casing P. However, the dii/ference in the areas is very small and for ll practical purposes, the well iluid pressure within the casing P is substantially the same as the well iluid pressure externally thereof when the flapper valve 25 is moved to its closed position. Thus, the iluid pressure within and externally of the casing or pipe P is maintained substantially equal during the lowering of the valve device A and the casing P into the well bore. Since the fluid pressures acting on the ends of the sleeve 16 are substantially equal, there is no tendency to shear the shear pin 37 during the lowering operation.

When the cement device A has been lowered to the desired depth in the well bore, cement is then pumped downwardly through the well pipe P. When the pressure of the cement reaches a predetermined value, usually on the order of 1,00() p. s. i., the valve seat 16 is forced downwardly from the closed position of flapper valve 25 shown in Fig. 1, wherein the shoulder 16a is spaced longitudinally above the shoulder 12b, to the extreme lower position of the seat 16 wherein such shoulders are in contact with each other. The shear lug 26 transmits such downward movement of the sleeve 16 to the shear pin 37 through the link 33 and also by reason of the contact of the lug 26 with the link surface 33a during such downward movement, so that the pin 37 is severed or sheared (Fig. 3) to disconnect the link 33 from the depending arm 36 of the valve body 12. In some cases the shear lug 26 need not be utilized for transmitting the downward movement of the valve sleeve 16 to the shear pin 37 because the downward movement of the sleeve 16 also acts directly on the apper 25 through its contact with the seating surface 16C to transmit a shearing force to pin 37 through link 33. It will be evident that the shearing of the pin 37 occurs prior to the Contact of shoulders 16a and 12b and that such contact of the shoulders 16a and 12b prevents the sleeve 16 from being pumped out of the valve body 12.

After the shear pin 37 has been severed, the flapper valve 25 then functions as a normal back check valve, or an upwardly closing valve. The cement can be readily inserted into the well bore once the shear pin 37 has been severed, since the apper valve 25 will move to an open position, even though the sleeve 16 is at its extreme lower simsen position (Figure 3). After the desi-red amount of cement has been pumped into the well bore throughthe casing P, it isV necessary for the cement to set for a certain length of time prior to further operation. During this period of the setting of the cement in the well bore, the ilapper valve 25 prevents the cement from being forced upwardly into the pipe P, because the fluid pressure from below, if it exceeds the pressure thereabove, causes the flapper valve 25 to seat on the seating surface 16e and to thereby close the bore 16h of the sleeve 16. The spring 30 assists in the closing action of the apper valve 25, although such spring 30 is not essential, because the uid pressure if it is great enough from below valve 25 will eifect such closing by itself.

After the cement has set or hardened in the well bore, then the cement device A can be drilled through in the usual manner to completely open the casing for further operations in the well.

In Fig. 4, a modified form of the invention is shown wherein a resilient means such as coil spring 40 is-mounted between and in contact with the upper end of the valve seat or sleeve 16 and the shoulder 14b. This spring 40 assists the fluid pressure within the casing P or housing 12 in returning the sleeve 16 to its lower position for closing the valve 25 so that a faster closing action of the valve 25 is effected when the pressure internally of the casing,

is substantially the same as the pressure externally thereof. It will be evident that the spring 40 may be of different strengths and if made suliciently strong, it can actually cause the sleeve 16 to move downwardly to close valve 25 when the pressure in the casing is somewhat less than the pressure externally of the casing so that a constant diferential in the fluid levels is maintained regardless of the depth to which the device A is lowered. For example, the spring 40 may effect a closing of the valve 25 when the fluid level exteriorly of the pipe P is about 100 feet above the uid level inside of the pipe P. This combined action of the spring 40 and the pressure in the casing would therefore assure the closing of the valve 25 before any overflow of well fluid could occur at the upper end of the casing.

As will be evident, the operation of the modification of Fig. 4 would be identical with that of Figures l-3 except that the upward movement of the sleeve 16 would be stopped when the spring 40 is fully compressed rather hn by contact of the stop segments 20 with the shoulder It can be seen from the above description that a till-up and cement device has been provided which will automatically admit well Huid into the casing or pipe as itis lowered into the well bore, so as to maintain a substantially equal pressure within and externally of the casing or pipe during the lowering movement. When the casing has been lowered -to the depth desired in the well bore, then the cement device of this invention can be manipulated by application of the predetermined pressure through the casing, so that the device then can function as a normal back check valve.

The foregoing `disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A fill-up and cementing device mounted on the lower end of a well pipe for lowering into a well bore, comprising a valve body having an open bore communicating with the bore of said pipe, an annular sleeve disposed in said valve body for longitudinal movement relative thereto, a dapper valve disposed below the lower end of said sleeve, a pivotal connection between said apper valve and the lower end of said sleeve to permit pivotal swinging of said apper valve to and from said sleeve for closing and opening flow therethrough, and a pivotal linkage connecting said `fiapper valve and said valve body to eifect a pivoting of said apper valve about said pivotal connection upon a longitudinal movement of said sleeve relative to said valve body.

2. The structure set forth in claim l, including means to release the pivotal linkage connection between said apper valve and said valve body whereby said dapper valve can function as a back check valve to resist fluid flow into the pipe while permitting fluid tiow therefrom.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said pivotal linkage includes a link having one end thereof pivotally connected to said flapper valve and the other end arca of said sleeve is greater than the lower area thereof whereby said sleeve is moved downwardly when the fluid pressure within the tubing is less than the pressure externally of the tubing.

6. In a ll-up and cementing device, a housing, a

sleeve having an open bore therethrough an-d adapted to be reciprocated within the housing by fluid pressure acting on` the ends thereof, a closure flap positioned on one end of said sleeve and adapted to extend across one end of said bore to close fluid ow therethrough, means pivotally `connecting said ap to said sleeve, and means pivotally connecting said Hap to said housing to prevent` an upward movement of said flap upon an4 upward movement of said sleeve for thereby pivoting said flap from a position closing said bore to a position permitting fluid flow through said bore upon the upward movement of the sleeve.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6, together with a frangible connection forming part of the connecting means `and normally connecting said closure tlap to said housing to normally effect an opening and closing of said` flap in response to the reciprocation of said sleeve, fracv turing of the frangible connection disconnecting the flap from the housing 'whereby said flap remains connected only to the sleeve.

8. A till-up and cementing device adapted to be connected in a well casing for lowering into a well bore and comprising, a valve body, a valve means associated with said valve body for controlling flow therethrough, said Ivalve means being adapted to open to admit well Huid into the casing when the uid pressure externally of the casing substantially exceeds the iuid pressure internally of the casing, releasable means connecting the valve means to the body for maintaining the valve means in a position which will cause opening of the valve means when the external pressure substantially exceeds the internal pressure, said releasable means being released upon the application of a predetermined fluid pressure on the valve means from within the casing whereby thereafter said valve means will be moved to closed position when the Huid pressure externally of the casing substantially exceeds the fluid pressure within the casing, said valve means including a floating sleeve having a fluid passage therethrough and Ialso having a valve seat thereon, and a liapper valve pivotally connected to one end of the sleeve for pivotally swinging into contact with said seat for closing flow through said floating sleeve.

9. A well device including, `a tubular body, a sleeve slidable longitudinally in said body, a closure pivoted on the sleeve and co--acting with the lower end thereof, said closure being upwardly closing when swung on its pivotal connection, releasable means between the closure and body for restraining the closure against upward movement within the body, whereby when said releasable means is in connected position, opening and closing of the valve is controlled solely by movement of the sleeve relative to the closure, release of said releasable means freeing said closure for movement relative to the body so that thereafter the closure may swing on its pivotal connection with the sleeve, whereby subsequent control of fluid ow is effected by swinging of the closure relative to the sleeve. l

10. A well device as set forth in claim 9, wherei the releasable means includes a shear pin which is adapted to be fractured by the Iapplication of a predetermined pressure to the closure.

11. A well device including, a hollow body having means for connecting it in a well pipe, a hollow pressureactuated member slidable within the body and having one end exposed to the pressure exteriorly of the pipe and its other end exposed to the pressure interiorly of the pipe, an upwardly closing closure element connected to and movable relative to the lower end of the hollow member to open and close the passage through the hollow member, `and releasable means connecting the closure element to said hollow body for restraining the closure element against passage closing movement along with any upward movement of the hollow member relative to the hollowl body, whereby at such time the movement of the hollow member relative to the hollow body actuates the closure element to control flow through said hollow body, release of the releasable means freeing the closure element for movement with and relative to the hollow member only, whereby thereafter control of the ow through the hollow body is controlled solely by the movement of the closure element relative to the hollow member.

12. A well device as set forth in claim l1, wherein that endof the hollow pressure-actuated member which is exposed to the pressure interiorly of the well pipe is of a greater area than that end of the member which is exposed to the pressure exteriorly of the pipe.

13. A well device including, a housing, a valve element disposed in the housing, releasable means movably connecting the valve element to the housing, a sleeve hav- -ing an open bore and adapted to be reciprocated within the housing by iluid pressure acting upon the ends thereof, means mounting the valve element to the sleeve to undergo bodily movement relative thereto, said sleeve being adjacent the valve element and having its lower end connected to and adapted to co-act with the valve element to control ow through the housing, upward movement of theV sleeve disengaging the sleeve from fluid excluding engagement with the valve element to permit flow through the sleeve and housing and downward movement of the sleeve engaging the sleeve with the valve element to shut ofi flow, release of said releasable means freeing said' valve element of restraint against independent movement relative to the sleeve and housing, permitting the valve element to undergo independent bodily movement relative to the sleeve after the releasable means is released whereby control of flow through the housing is thereafter accomplished solely by movement of the valve elcment relative to the sleeve.

14. A well device as set forth in claim 13, wherein' the releasable means includes a frangible shear pin which is adapted to be fractured by the application of a predetermined pressure against the valve element.

15. A well device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the sleeve has a first surface exposed to pressure above the sleeve and has a second surface exposed to the pressure -below the sleeve, said rst surface having an area which is greater than the area of the second surface.

1,6. A well device including, a hollow body, a sleeve slidable longitudinally in said body, a closure element pivoted on the sleeve andco-acting with the lower end thereof to open and close the bore of the sleeve, said closure element beingupwardly closing and downwardly opening when swung on its pivotal connection with the sleeve, kand -releasable means movably connecting the closure element to the hollow body for moving the closure element between open and closed position upon longi tudinal movement of the sleeve in opposite directions on the hollow body, said closure element being restrained against independent movement relative tothe hollow body by said releasable means when said releasable means is in connected position, opening and closing of the closure element being controlled solely by fluid pressure differential when said releasable means is released.

References Eited in the file of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 1,072,334 Kulla Sept. 2, 1913 1,818,508 Scott Aug. 1l, 1931 2,211,846 Brown L Aug. 20, 1940 2,592,325 Otis et al. Apr. 8, 1952 2,630,178 Brown Mar. 3, 1953 2,642,140 Brown June 16, 1953 

